Wizardry & Reality
by Shaeby-chan
Summary: What happens when three Harry Potter fans and one Harry Potter hater gets sucked into the movies? Find out!
1. Info

) Charlie May Darksong  
House: Ravenclaw

) Adelaide Morgan Blackwell  
House: Slytherin

) Jade Amore Assederra  
House: Hufflepuff

) Lyra Ace Heartnet  
House: Gryffindor

Info

Lyra, full first name is Alyra. Her favorite color is purple. Has short dark brown hair with dark purple highlights, and almost golden eyes. Her skin is very light but she can pick up a tan easily. She wears dark rimmed glasses and is 5'3".

Jade's full name is Jade Amore Assederra. She has hazel eyes but they get super green when she's feeling emotional. She has long, straight, jet-black hair. She's usually rather introverted but is talkative around friends. She's addicted to Monster energy drinks, and is allergic to garlic. We all love her very much . Her favorite colors are purple, black, and lime green.

Charlie's full name is Charlie May Darksong. She has bright red hair with natural golden-blonde streaks. She has big blue eyes (Almost grey sometimes) with gold flecks. She has very pale skin and doesn't tan easily. She is spunky and sarcastic on the outside but loyal, sweet, and mushy on the inside. She doesn't like wearing her glasses (silver rimmed w/ turquoise sides) is 5'6", 5'7" and flat footed. Loves to run; favorite colors are blue, green, and bright orange.

Adelaide's full name is Adelaide Morgan Blackwell. Her favorite color is purple. She sees the other girls as immature but she has her moments. She is 5'5", 5'6". She has dark red (almost purple) hair naturally, as well as chocolate brown eyes and ultra-black pupils. Her hair is uncontrollably curly and reaches her waist. Her favorite foods are fettuccini and hamburgers.

Patronus

Alyra- sparrow

Charlie- fox

Adelaide-welsh mastiff

Jade- panda cub


	2. One: Popcorn and Dimensional Wormholes

Chapter one: Popcorn and Dimensional Wormholes

It was in-service teacher work day, giving the students of River High the day off. This gave four friends a chance to hang out. So Charlie, Jade, and Adelaide all gathered at Lyra's house for a Harry Potter movie mash.

Lyra was running around, constantly saying, "Gotta hurry!" as she made snacks, placed pillows all over the floor, and blacked out all of the windows so that it was nice and dark. She wanted everything to be perfect when her friends got to the house. Two large bowls of popcorn were made, and sodas were in the little cooler off to the side of the room. There were also unopened bags of chips and candy placed next to the cooler.

As Lyra sighed in relief at her finished work, there was a whole bunch of knocking at the door. Excited, Lyra ran to the door and answered it only to see her expected guests. Opening the door widely, she ushered Jade, Charlie, and Adelaide in.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Lyra joked.

Walking in with sleeping bags, the girls put their stuff down. However, Jade was the first to spot the soda and the-

"MONSTER!" Jade shouted as she dove for the cooler across the room. We all started laughing. No one dared get in her way when it came to Monster energy drinks. The rest of the girls grabbed their own side and a bag or bar of candy.

Lyra then walked over to her DVD multiplayer and put in all eight Harry Potter DVDs. She then grabbed the remote, turned the lights off, and dove in-between Jade and Charlie on the ground.

Adelaide shook her head at Lyra's childish antics. "It'll be scary if you ever start acting your age, Lyra."

Lyra, in retaliation, stuck her tongue out at Adelaide, which only earned her a 'real mature'.

Then Lyra pressed play and all the girls quieted down. Charlie ate her Kit-Kat, not even realizing that some of the chocolate had melted on her hands, as she watched the baby Harry being placed on the doorstep of his Aunt and Uncle's house.

That's when the storm started.

The wind rattled the windows on the house. Rain pounded against the walls and the girls looked at each other. Thunder could be heard clashing in the distance.

"Um, was the weather gloomy when you guys got here?" Lyra asked.

"It was cloudy," Jade said.

"But it wasn't this bad," Charlie was hugging her pillow in fright.

"Maybe we should turn the TV off." Lyra started for the TV when it gave an implosion. All the girls screamed. They didn't have time to run. The TV began to form a portal, and then strong wind started to drag the girls toward it. Jade used one hand to latch onto the carpet, and the other one grabbed Charlie. However, she had lost her grip and almost went towards the magic portal of terror; then it was Lyra, then Adelaide. Soon the girls were a human chain.

Adelaide started to slip out of Lyra's grip. "Adelaide, don't let go!"

"I can't help it! Your hands are slippery!" she shouted back. Fear showed in her eyes as she finally lost her grip and released a blood curdling scream.

"Adelaide!" the remaining girls shouted.

Lyra was the next one to slip but Charlie griped her hand as hard as she could.

"Hang on!" Charlie tried to pull Lyra forward, but the portal's wind was too strong for Lyra and she lost her grip as well.

"Tell my dad I scratched the car!" Lyra shouted before disappearing into the vortex.

"Lyra!" Charlie and Jade shouted after her.

Charlie looked at Jade, "Jade, let go of the carpet!"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Think about it, who would believe us?" Charlie questioned.

Jade looked between her hand and Charlie. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let go. They soon followed Lyra and Adelaide and were sucked into the vortex as well. As soon as Charlie and Jade were through, the portal closed behind them. They were flying at supersonic speed and soon saw Adelaide and Lyra not too far ahead of them.

Suddenly, there was a white light ahead of the girls. Lyra, being… well Lyra, shouted at the top of her lungs, "I knew we were dead!" If it had been under different circumstances, the girls would have laughed. As the light got bigger, the girls braced themselves for impact; which was good because they landed hard on coble stone.

"Is everyone alright?" Jade asked, that is before she screamed at the sight in front of her.

The sight before them was anything but normal. The rest of the girls' heads shot up at her sudden cry before they screamed as well. What was in front of each girl was not what they were used to that was for sure, because each girl had reverted to eleven years of age. The teenagers were children once again.

"Dude," Lyra said as she looked at her companions. Her head then shot at Adelaide's direction,

"Ha, now you can't lecture me about acting my age!" Adelaide looked annoyed, but she ignored Lyra's comment. There was something else on her mind. She looked around. She even saw a double decker bus. "Um, guys, where are we?"

Jade also looked around and noticed a sign above their heads.

"The Leaky Cauldron," she read out loud. Everyone else's heads shot up.

"But that means…" Charlie trailed off.

"No!" Lyra shouted, catching the attention of some of the passerby's. "We can't be! I mean, what about my popcorn? It's still on the floor at my house, the dogs will get it!"

There was a pause, and then Charlie went off.

"We've just been sucked into a world full of evil lords, magic, and danger, and you're worried about POPCORN?"

"Yes," Lyra answered, completely serious.

"Hey, what's this?" Jade asked. In each of their laps, items had appeared. Each girl now had a leather pouch that seemed full of coins. Next to the pouches were letters inscribed to each girl.

'_To Ms. A. Blackwell, C. Darksong, A. Heartnet, & J. Assederra,_

_Under the Leaky Cauldron sign'_

"You don't think…" Charlie said in awe.

"Let's open them!" Jade cheered excitedly. The envelope was open within seconds and she began to read hers out loud along with her friends. "Dear, Ms. Assederra,"

"We are pleased to," Lyra continued

"Tell you, that you've," Charlie

"-been excepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,"

Charlie, being extremely curious, opened her letter pouch. In that pouch, she found at least 300 galleons. She assumed each of the other girls had the same amount in their pouches.

"Guys, you are going to freak." She showed the other girls and after seeing her pouch, they all scrambled for their own.

"Come on guys, we can't continue to sit on the street," Adelaide said, "Plus, I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to shopping in Diagon Ally." She smirked as the others scrambled to their feet.

All four girls walked into the tiny door of the Leaky Cauldron. Inside, there was a small pub with at least twenty people inside. The bartender, who Charlie and Lyra vaguely remembered his name to be Tom, spotted them as the door shut behind Jade.

"How can I help you four ladies? Some pea soup, maybe?"

"Sure, I'll take-" Charlie interrupted Jade before she could order any of the soup.

"Jade! If you order the pea soup, you'll have to eat it before it eats you." Charlie whispered into Jade's ear.

Jade gulped, "On second thought, I'm good, thanks."

"We're looking for Hagrid." Lyra said, catching Tom's interest. "We're supposed to meet up with him and Harry and go shopping."

"Ah, you just missed him not but two minutes ago. He went that way." He pointed to his left and then went to fill someone's glass with bubbling green goo. None of the girls wanted to know what it was and they weren't going to stay and find out.

All four of them started walking to where Tom had pointed them. That is, until Charlie ran into someone. "Oh, sorry, gotta watch-" she paused when she saw who it was. Jade, Lyra, and Adelaide stopped in the tracks as they stared at who it was in front of them. It was none other than Professor Quirrel.

Jade had never seen Harry Potter, but when she saw the terrified faces f other friends, she knew that this guy was not to be trusted. She eyed the man in the turban.

"They know," came a snake like whisper that the girls knew came from the back of the man's head under his turban. Quirrel looked angry and worried. He made for the girls.

"Run!" Adelaide shouted, and they ran past the evil man and toward the back room.

Charlie was the first to make it. She slammed the door open and held it open for her friends. "Come on!" Jade, Lyra, and Adelaide ran in. Charlie followed them and slammed the door behind her. That's when the group saw the brick wall about half way closed. Quickly they all squeezed through.

They all collapsed on the ground.

"I *huff* hate *huff* running!" Lyra exclaimed. Charlie patted her shoulder and Adelaide shook her head, amused. The four girls got up and dusted themselves off.

"So," Jade started, "Where to first?" she gazed around in awe at the sight in front of her. She wasn't the only one. Adelaide, Charlie, and Lyra looked around like they were kids in a candy store.

"Well, before we get into any more trouble, let's get our wands." Lyra said which was weird because it was a rational idea. Lyra almost never had rational ideas.

However, none of the other girls wanted to press the issue, so they all started off in a search for a wand shop. Though there was some window shopping done, and Adelaide and Jade had to pull Lyra and Charlie away from Flourish and Blots before they could read anything. Finally, they came to Ollivander's.

They all walked in. Inside, the walls had shelves and shelves of wands. There were some chairs off to the side and a glass vase on each side of the desk. It was an old and dusty store. Yet the owner of the store was nowhere in sight.

"Excuse me?" Adelaide called out. "Is anyone here?"

There was a sound of sliding. Then from the back of the shop, came into view a latter with an old, white haired man on it. The latter was sliding on the side of the shelves. As it moved, it kicked up dust into the air. Finally it came to a stop just a foot from the desk.

Mr. Ollivander got off the latter and peered at his new costumers.

"Well then, these are all new faces. I can't see a bit of resemblance for any of my former costumers. Are you all muggle born?"

"Yes," Adelaide said quickly before anyone could answer.

"I see," he said suspiciously, "well which one of you is first?"

Adelaide turned to ask who wanted to go first; however, she saw her friends were sitting down. Sighing, Adelaide stepped up. "I'll go sir."

"Ah, yes, ok." He said more to himself. He walked down one of the isles and pulled out a foot long box. He walked back.

"Try this miss…"

"Blackwell,"

"-Ms. Blackwell. Unicorn hair, 9 ½ inches. Pine, good for charms."

Adelaide opened the box and pulled out a light, tan wand with a small handle. With a flick of her wrist, she waved her wand. However, that was a bad idea. An orb of energy shot out and bounced back and forth, breaking things and knocking things over, then it was after the other girls.

"Hit the deck!" Lyra shouted.

"All three girls dropped to the floor as the orb shot at them. It flew over the grounded girls and straight through the glass window. The orb however continued to fly, bounce back and forth, and terrorize passerby witches and wizards.

Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand out of Adelaide's hand with a, "Nope, definitely not the right wand for you." He went to the left side of the shop this time. He pulled out a long box from the bottom shelf.

"Maple. Phoenix feather, 12 inches, very strong." He said as he handed her the box. Adelaide opened the box to find a wand about the same color as her hair. Having high hopes for this wand, she pulled it out of the box and was about to wave it, however before she could wave it, Mr. Ollivander took it out of her hand.

"No. Definitely not this one," He pulled a wand box out from under the desk. He then handed it to her.

"Beech wood and dragon heart strings. Nine inches, nice and flexible." The smooth surface of the wand barely touched her hand before that too was snatched out of her hand. Adelaide began to wonder if there was a wand for her at all, that maybe she and the other girls getting their letters was a mistake.

However that's when Mr. Ollivander came back with a foot long box. "Strange. I don't give these to many witches and wizards, but it's worth a try." He handed her the box. "Ebony. 10 ½ inches. Dragon scales. For the more mature spell casters."

Adelaide opened the box with determination and a slight hint of fear. Inside the box was the most beautiful wand that she had seen yet. She could see the little pieces of dragon scales trailing up the wand. It almost seemed to glitter as Adelaide took it into her hand. A warm sensation filled her as she flicked her wand and the candle on the side of the desk lit.

Adelaide was full of joy for she knew that she had found her wand.


	3. Two: Shopping & Gringotts

Chapter two: Shopping & Gringotts

After Adelaide got her wand, Lyra jumped up to go next. After going through three wands, she found a very nice wand that was made of ash wood and mermaid scales. It was 9 ½ inches. "Good for defensive spells." Ollivander had said. However, the girls knew that all it had done was given Lyra an excuse to try spells way beyond her capabilities at the moment.

Next up was Charlie. She was just as enthusiastic about getting a wand as Lyra had been. However after the third wand, she began to lose hope. The fifth wand, she was handed was a willow wand, 11 inches and Pixie wings. It was supposed to be good for levitation spells. When the wand glowed as she touched it, she knew it was her wand.

Jade was the last to go. She was happy when she got her wand on the third try. Her wand was made of Dragon heartstrings and Cherry wood. It was the largest wand of the entire group, measuring at 13 ½ inches and was supposed to be great for transfiguration.

Thanking Mr. Ollivander, the girls bought their wands and left the shop.

"Alright, where to next?" Jade asked.

However, before anyone could answer, Lyra spotted a shop that all the girls knew would be hard to get her out of. Before anyone knew what to do, Lyra took off for the shop across the way, shouting "PET SHOP!" as she went. Passersby jumped out of the way to avoid being run over. Her three friends shook their heads in both amusement and embarrassment.

"We better go get her before she causes a national incident." Adelaide muttered. The other girls nodded in agreement.

All three girls ran into the store to see the strangest sight yet.

Standing there, in the middle of the store; covered from head to toe in owls, rats, cats, and toads; was Lyra. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Guys, look, they like me!"

"Oh God," Jade said. "How are we ever going to get all of those animals off of her?"

"Get them off of her?" Charlie questioned, "Hell, we'd be lucky to get her out of the shop!"

After about ten minutes, and with a little help from the shop owner, all the animals were put back in their cages, much to Lyra's disappointment.

"Very strange," said the shop owner, "In all my years-and all you did was walk in. Very odd indeed,"

"Well that's Lyra for you." Jade said.

"It's true," agreed Lyra. She wasn't going to deny it. She was, as the shop owner put it, odd.

"Now, which one of you would like to purchase first? Feel free to look around." Said the shop keeper as he went to feed a white bat hanging from the ceiling.

The only animal that refused to leave Lyra's side was a small black owl that kept moving from side to side on her shoulder. She smiled at him, crisening (sp?) him with the name Fidget. She got his small cage and the biggest bag of owl treat she could find.

Jade was not as sure about her selection for an animal as her best friend Lyra, who was cooing to her owl. She walked down the aisle with the owls. To her left, her eyes met with gold almond-shaped ones. The eyes seemed to be burrowing into Jade's very soul. She knew that this snowy owl was destined to be hers. .

Jade held her arm out, and the snowy owl flew to her without hesitation. "Think I'll call you Demeter." Jade said aloud. Demeter nibbled on Jade's shirt affectionately.

Meanwhile, Adelaide walked confidently to the other side of the pet show where a sign overhead read _**FELINES. **_Cats laid lazily on perches and beds. While the kittens chased a poor door mouse around, falling over one another in doing so. Adelaide walked carefully over the kittens and cat tails that seemed to be everywhere as she searched for the perfect feline companion. She stopped when she felt something brush up against her leg. She looked down and smiled. "Ah, there _you_ are."

Rubbing against her leg was a young beautiful semis cat . Her tail swayed from side to side as Adelaide picked her up gently and walked over to the colures and inscribed 'Kami' on the tag before getting Kami a brush and bed.

As Charlie was about to set off for her own animal, she felt the feeling of claws on the top of her head. She caught her reflection. A beautiful brown barn owl had landed on her head, and was looked like it was starting to fall asleep. Charlie tried to knock it off her head while shouting "I'M NOT A NEST!" Deep down, she was happy that the bird had taking a liking to her. She know she would keep her and name her Kazada, but at the moment she was more concerned about getting the bird off her head.

Lyra, seeing Charlie's discomfort, got a cage and an owl treat. "Charlie, here!" Lyra called as she through Charlie the treat.

Charlie caught the treat and held her arm out in a perch form. Kazada, seeing the treat in her master's outstretched hand, flew to her arm, waiting for the treat. Charlie was happy to have her head back and gave the treat to Lyra. She put the treat in the empty cage, and Kazada quickly flew into the cage to snatch the tasty snack. Lyra slammed the cage shut.

"Sigh, thanks Lyra." Charlie said as she fixed her hair. "Guess the animal chose me."

Lyra laughed. "Animals and wands, I share."

The girls paid for the animals and left the shop.

"Charlie and I are going to open accounts at Gringotts Bank for all of us." Adelaide announced. "So take the money you need and we'll deposit the rest."

Jade and Lyra each got twenty Gallions and gave the rest to the other two girls. Charlie and Adelaide walked to the leaning building that was the wizard bank.

"So," Jade said. "Where to first?"

"Let's get our cauldrons first. That way anything we buy we can just put them in the cauldrons to carry."

Jade, seeing logic in Lyra's words, nodded.

"But there is some things that you should know," Lyra warned.

"Like what?"

"Never go into Knockturn Alley. If Fred and George offer you candy, don't take it! Just run. If you're ever alone, try to avoid running into Draco Malfoy. Just because it's a magic school, it's still school. So there will be grades. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans really does mean _**every**_ flavor. And the tree at the edge of the school is called the 'Whomping Willow' for a reason." Lyra explained as they paid for their cauldrons and some potions that they thought would be good for pranking.

Charlie and Adelaide walked into the Gringotts Bank hesitation. Well, Charlie more than Adelaide. Charlie read the inscription overhead.

'_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
Of what awaits the sin of greed  
For those who take, but do not earn,  
Must pay most dearly in their turn.  
So if you seek beneath our floors  
A treasure that was never yours,  
Thief, you have been warned, beware  
Of finding more than treasure there.'_

"Addy! Goblins are very clever! What if they find out—" Adelaide cut Charlie off.

"We're not here to steal anything and apparently we _can_ use magic. They have no reason to stop us from entering." Although she said this with confidence, inside, Adelaide was just as nervous as Charlie.

They walked up to a goblin that was in the middle of the proses of measuring emeralds. Adelaide cleared her throat and the goblin looked up. "Under aged witches." He said. His voice was very deep but nasal at the same time. His fingers nails were long and very dirty. His teeth were yellow and looked as sharp as blades. "What business do you have here?"

Adelaide stood strait as she addressed the goblin. "We're here to open a savings account and register one volt under four names."

The goblin gave an annoyed sigh before pulling out a piece of parchment from his desk. "Names?"

That's when Charlie finally spoke up. "Jade Amour Assederra, Adelaide Morgan Blackwell, Alyra Ace Heartnet, and myself, Charlie May Darksong."

The goblin used a quick notes quill and continued to measure the emeralds. "How would you like to personalize your volt?" He drolled.

"We'd like four keys. All four keys, or a Gringott's goblin are to be the only things that can unlock it." Adelaide clarified. She didn't know if they were going too store anything else in the volt. But they couldn't be too careful.

The goblin looked at the two girls curiously. "Quite some protection." But none the less, he brought out four different keys.

Each key had a insignia the resembled fire, water, air, or earth. Adelaide gave the light blue, air key to Charlie and took the green earth key for herself. The other keys would go to Jade and Lyra. But for not, they would stay in Adelaide's left pocket.

"Griphook will take you to your volt along with two other people."

Both Adelaide and Charlie froze at first. Then, they turned around to see the goblin Griphook come into view along with none other than Rubeus Hagrid and Harry Potter . Both girls had to strain their necks to get a good look at the half giant.

"Whoa!" Charlie whispered.

The four people followed the small goblin to a small cart. The girls, knowing what would happen next, started to secure all of their belongings as if they were about to get on a roller coaster, which, in a way, they kind of were. Harry looked at them strangely. This caught Charlie's attention. She smiled at him and held out her hand.

"Hi! I'm Charlie, and this is Adelaide." Charlie said as she took his hand in hers and shook it. On the outside, she was calm, cool and collective. However on the inside, Charlie was bursting at the seams with questions for Harry. But she dare not ask them. For most her questions involved things that hadn't even happen to the poor boy yet.

"Hi. I'm Harry, Harry Potter." Harry looked nervous but full of wonder as he tried to focus on Charlie, and not the mystical scenes around him. He then shook Adelaide's hand before the group got settled in the cart.

No sooner did the cart jerk forward, did Adelaide and Charlie relies that the books and movies did Gringott's crazy underground cart ways no justice. For they were jerk violently back and forth, up and down, there was even a loop at some point.

"_**Why doesn't this thing have seatbelts?**_" Adelaide shouted to Charlie, who didn't answer because she was gripping as hard as she could to the railing in front of her.

Finally, the cart came to a stop. Griphook got out of the cart and said, "Volt 512." Since Charlie and Adelaide had never heard the number in the book before, they assumed that this was their volt. "Lamp please." Adelaide handed him the lamp, and everyone got out of the cart.

The door for the volt was very large, and could fit Hagrid easily through it. There were four key holes, one for each key, in a diamond formation, and over each key hole was an insignia that matched each key. All of the locks were facing different directions.

"Start at the top lock and turn each key to the left." Instructed Griphook.

Charlie and Adelaide looked at each other. The first lock was fire and was pointing up. Charlie put the red key in and turned it to the left. There was a sound of tumblers. Next was water and Adelaide took Lyra's key from her pocket and put it in the lock that faced the left, and turned it to the left. Next was earth in the down facing lock, and finally air in the lock facing the right.

The door swung open to reveal a very large volt with four dug outs placed in the wall. Over each dug out was a gold or silver name plate with the names of the girls. Jade and Lyra's names were on the silver, and Charlie and Adelaide's were on the gold.

The girl's placed the pouches in each respectable place, got the keys, and walked out.

"Four people share a volt?" Harry asked.

"Well, we're very close." Adelaide answered.

"You lot 're from America, arn'chya?" Hagrid asked. "Dumbledore said somethin 'bout some special foreign stu'ent."

Charlie and Adelaide didn't have time to answer before the cart sped off again.

After Harry's volt, the cart pulled up to number 713. Both Adelaide and Charlie held their breath as they remember what was just on the other side of the volt door.

Griphook opened the door, and Hagrid took the paper covered stone out from the volt. He then turned to the three children still in the cart. "It's best you three not tell anyone 'bout this."

They all nodded.


	4. Three: Platform 9

Chapter 3: Platform 9 ¾

The girls met up again after Charlie and Adelaide left Gringotts. They got ice cream before they continued to shop for books, gloves, and everything else a young witch needs. All they had left to buy were robes.

The four girls walked into the robes shop to get fitted. As they walked in, they were greeted by the shop owner. "Hogwarts dears?"

"Yes," Jade answered. She hadn't talked much since their arrival. Though, unless it was just herself and Lyra, she didn't talk much anyways, and even when she was with Lyra she let her do most of the talking.

The girls got on top of the pedestals and a magic tape measure started to measure them. Jade jumped slightly. This magic stuff was going to take some getting used to. Even though she never really cared for the Harry Potter books, she had to admit this was pretty cool.

"Hi Charlie, Adelaide," said a voice behind them. The girls turned to see Harry standing next to Draco Malfoy.

"You know them," asked Draco.

"I met them at Gringotts," Harry replied, dismissing the other boy's rudeness.

Charlie and Adelaide went on to introduce Lyra and Jade. After introductions, the girls listened as Draco talked to Harry.

"-I think I'll bully my father into getting me one and I'll sneak it in somehow," Draco mused.

Jade was getting rather annoyed with this boy. He reminded her of the jocks at the girl's muggle school, who only talked about sports and cars.

"Have you all got your own brooms," Draco asked the odd group and Harry

Harry looked notable uncomfortable before they all answered no.

"Play Quidditch at all?"

"No," Harry answered along with jade.

"Yes," answered Adelaide, Lyra, and Charlie.

"What Position," Draco countered. He had this look in his eyes as if he didn't believe they even knew what Quidditch was.

"Beater," answered Adelaide, proudly.

"And we're both Chasers!" Lyra said, equally excited. Although it was a little geeky to admit, the three of them had all participated in the muggle version of Quidditch. They would play it at the public park, surprised the first time at how many people joined in.

Draco dismissed them and continued to talk to Harry. "Well, I play Quidditch as well. Father says it'll be a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"

"No," said Harry, looking rather embarrassed.

"Well no one really knows until they get there do they, nut I know I'll be in Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin- imagine being in Hufflepuff. I think I would leave, wouldn't you?"

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff," asked Jade, defiantly. She didn't know why she had been so snappy about it, but whenever Lyra would talk to her about the houses, Hufflepuff was always described as loyal and kindhearted. Why would this boy have a problem with that?

Draco scoffed at her. "That's like asking why people get owls instead of toads."

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," Jade muttered, to which Lyra stifled a laugh.

"Alright, dears," said the shop owner. They went with their robes to the cash register. As they were about to leave, Jade made it a point to turn to Draco and stick her tongue out at him and call him a jerk before walking out of the shop before the other girls. As Lyra walked through the doorway, she heard Draco mumble, "Crazy Americans."

She smiled to herself and ran to catch up with her friends.

A couple of hours later the girls were sitting at King's cross Station. Kami was curled up on Adelaide's lap purring affectionately.

"What time is it," Charlie asked

Lyra looked at her sports watch. "10:30. Remind me again why are we here so early?"

"BECAUSE in the movie, it's right after they go shopping that Harry meets the Weasley family," Adelaide said, "So we'll just wait for them to get to the platform."

"Why do we have to wait for them," asked Jade.

"Because," Charlie answered, "Platform 9 ¾ is in between platforms 9 and 10. However, there are at least five pillars that say the exact same thing on them but only one of them is the correct pillar."

"But back to what's important," said Jade as she playfully nudged Lyra, "I thought they didn't leave for two more weeks."

"In the _Book. _We were sucked into the _movie," _explained Charlie, sounding slightly annoyed. She much preferred books, even if she loved the movies as well.

"Same every year, packed with muggles of course!" said a familiar voice. They all turned their head to the sound and saw a familiar family of red heads. "Come on! Keep Up! Platform 9 ¾ this way!"

"That's them!" Charlie said urgently and they all shot up, pushing their trolleys forward. Soon they caught up with the family.

"Hogwarts, Dears?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she noticed the girls pull up next to her.

"First years," said the two red-headed twins eyeing them deviously. Fred and George were well known as pranksters, so when their mother heard the tone in their voices, she turned to give them a stern look. In response, both boys turned to look in opposite directions to avoid their mother's disapproving gaze.

The group came to a stop in front of a pillar with a nine on one side and a ten on the other. Jade leaned into her best friend.

"Lyra,' she whispered, "how are we supposed to get to the platform? Are we supposed to say a spell or something?" Jade had no idea how magic worked.

Lyra smiled, not that it was unusual for her to. In fact, it seemed that there was a permanent smile plastered on Lyra's face. It was when she wasn't smiling that you had to worry. When Lyra was angry, the whole world could tell.

"Just watch," Lyra whispered back.

Jade faced the red headed family and waited for something to happen.

"Alright Percy, you first," said Mrs. Weasley.

The eldest of the Weasley children present ran straight at the pillar. Jade, shocked at this, was about to yell at him to stop, but never got the chance as, right in front of her very eyes, Percy disappeared.

Before Jade could say a word, Lyra and Charlie started mouthing what everyone was saying.

"Alright Fred, you next," said Mrs. Weasley/Charlie

"He's not Fred, I am!" said George/Lyra.

"Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother," said Fred/Lyra/Charlie.

However, this time, the twins caught Charlie and Lyra. They stared at the girls with confusion. Slightly embarrassed about being caught, both girls mumbled a 'sorry.'

Mrs. Weasley sighed at her twin sons, "oh I'm sorry, George."

"Get ready to follow the twins!" said Adelaide. The girls gripped their carts and lined up behind the two smiling boys.

Fred looked at his mother and smiled, "I'm only joking, I am Fred." And with that, Fred, George, Adelaide, Charlie, Lyra, and Jade all ran through the barrier.

Jade marveled as she came to a stop in front of a bright red train engine. Witches and wizards fluttered about, parents hugging and kissing their children goodbye, old friends greeting each other and asking about the summer holiday.

After getting their things stored away properly, the girls found an empty compartment and sat down. The window was open and they could hear the conversations going on.

"Now you two-" The girls looked out the window to see Mrs. Weasley looking sternly at Fred and George. "This year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've- you've blown up a toilet or-"

"Blown up a toilet?" asked Fred, "We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks mum." finished George, smilingly mischievously.

The girls had to try to not laugh out loud.

"Trevor!" came a voice outside the girl's compartment. Their heads shout around to see Neville Longbottom chasing his toad down the train aisle tripping over his own feet as he went.

"Poor Neville," Charlie said, shaking her head.

"That toad needs a leash," said Lyra. She was angry at the toad for constantly causing Neville to worry.

"-on his first day of school," came Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice. She had been yelling at the twins, but they looked like this was nothing new. The girls turned back to the window.

"All right, keep your hat on," said Fred and George at the same time.

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" their mother said shooing them onto the train. Jade felt kind of bad then, because Ginny began to cry.

"Don't worry, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls-" Fred said.

George smirked. "We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!"

"_George!"_

"Only joking, mum."

The train began to move. Parents waved vigorously as they said goodbye to their children.

The girls closed the window and took their seats. Adelaide stood up and drew the curtains to the now closed compartment door.

*sigh* "My dad would freak if he knew what I was doing," Jade said as she stared out the window.

"Honey, he'd freak at how old you are" said Lyra patting her arm comfortingly. Jade whacked her on the top of her head.

"All right, ladies, serious time," said Adelaide, sitting up straighter, "there are things we should probably avoid at Hogwarts."

"Like Quirrell," Lyra said, sourly. "He's going to either want to a) interrogate us or b) kill us…"

"Or both!" Charlie piped in.

"-and," Adelaide continued, "no matter what, we have to stick together! Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"And," Adelaide looked directly and Charlie and Lyra, "no matter how tempting it is, no quoting what people will say. Fred and George already caught you two once." Both girls looked down guiltily.

"I also thought we should meet on the room of requirement," Charlie added.

"But what about the twins?" Lyra asked.

"Huh?"

"Think about it," Lyra explained, "they have the-" she looked at the door in case someone might have been listening. She leaned forwards and the other girls followed suit. "The Marauder's Map," she whispered.

"What's the Marauder's map?" Jade whispered back.

"It's a map of the school that shows where everyone is every minute of every day. Except…' Adelaide started.

"The Room of Requirement," Charlie and Lyra finished.

"And what's the Room of Requirement?"

"A moving room that only presents itself to you if you have real need of it," Adelaide answered. She then turned to the other two girls. "Why does it matter if they have the Marauder's map?"

"Because! The room doesn't show up on the map does it? If the twins just happen to be looking at the map and a group of names suddenly vanishes, don't you think they'll know we're up to something?" Lyra exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"They'll be looking for Filch, they won't care about four first years," Adelaide said dismissively as Charlie asked, "Are we up to something?"

There was a knock on the compartment door. The girls glanced at each other before Lyra stood to open the door. There in front of them stood the old witch with the cart full of yummy snacks and magical goodies.

"Anything from the trolley, dears," she asked politely.

The girls remembered the beautiful snacks Lyra had prepared for them back home and their stomachs growled.

"I'll take that as a yes,' the witch said, smiling.

Being the closest to the door, Lyra stepped forward. "One box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, four Chocolate frogs, two Licorice wands, a cauldron cake, and four packets of Droobles, please."

"That'll be 12 sickles and 5 knuts please." She replied handing Lyra their snacks.

Lyra, still a bit sketchy on how wizard money worked, handed the women two galleons. "Uh, keep the change! Thanks!" she said nervously, shutting the door before the woman could protest.

Charlie sighed and looked at Lyra. "I've told you before, dear: it's 29 knuts to a sickle and 17 sickles to a galleon." Lyra simply rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

Lyra opened the box of jelly beans, and popped out 10 brightly colored bean into her hand. "Okay, say this red bean is Filch and these four over here by my pinky are us. Filch goes left, we go right, and all of a sudden." She put the four jelly beans back in the box, leaving only Filch. "See the difference?"

"Yes, but be honest, Lyra" said Charlie, usually the voice of either reason or total imagination overload, "it's a pretty big school, what are the odds of them seeing four people disappear?"

"Still it only takes one time bef-"

There was another knock on the compartment door before it slid open. There in her Hogwarts robes stood Hermione Granger. "has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one."

"No, sorry," Adelaide replied, "we haven't seen it since the train started moving."

She nodded then closed the compartment door. Charlie opened the compartment door and poked her head into the hallway.

Down the corridor a ways, they overheard Hermione say "oh are you doing magic? Let's see then."

Charlie slammed the door shut as Lyra got up to stand beside her in front of it and Adelaide's face went instantly dark. "No, Addy, calm down."

"Wormtail is in there."

"Yes, but _they _ don't know that. You go charging in there and start strangling a rat and not only will they think your completely insane, but you'll be expelled before the train even stops!" said Charlie. She put her hand on Adelaide's shoulder.

Adelaide took a deep breath before sitting down angrily next to Jade, who was confused as all get out. Lyra told her that she would explain later.

Charlie looked out the window and saw it getting dark. "we should change into our robes." The girls nodded, and Lyra locked the door so they could change.

The train pulled into Hogsmead station.


	5. 4: The Sorting Hats Song 4Houses4Girls

Chapter 4: The Sorting Hat's Song. Four Houses, Four Girls

The train came to a stop and all of the students started to pile out. The girls joined hands so they wouldn't get separated in the mass of older students.

"Nobody let go this time," Adelaide warned.

"Firs' Years! Firs' years over here!"

The girls saw Hagrid towering over the rest of the students. Adelaide pulled the girls with her towards the giant.

Lyra looked around excitedly. She couldn't wait for the sorting or the magic that was to follow. Jade didn't know how to feel. She had always hated anything to do with the Harry Potter series, but she'd never even given it a chance. Yet here she was, her heart pounding in her ears. Though she would never openly admit it to the others, she couldn't wait for school. If Charlie and Lyra heard her say that, she would never live it down.

"Alright, no more than four to a boat," Hagrid warned.

The Black Lake was beautiful. Charlie could see Hogwarts reflected across its surface. Adelaide quickly claimed a boat. As soon as the first years were all seated, the boats took off by themselves. Charlie and Lyra looked at each other, and could barely contain their excitement.

Adelaide and Jade looked over the boat's edge into the water, which nearly caused them heart attacks. Less than twenty feet away, a giant tentacle shot out of the water, a fish in its grip.

The boats pulled up to the dock near the castle. One by one, the students got out of their boats. Lyra was the last to get out of their boat. She stood up, and as she was about to step out, she lost her balance. She would have fallen into the lake if Adelaide had not caught her.

"You're such a klutz, Lyra" Adelaide said giggling.

Lyra smiled sheepishly.

"I'll take them from here, Hagrid." Said a tall witch with square- rimmed glasses. Charlie looked up, instantly recognizing Professor McGonagall. She led the students into the castle. She stopped in front of a pair of large important-looking doors at the end of a corridor. She then turned to address the students.

"Now, through these doors, you will join your classmates. But first, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Lyra saw Draco smirk. "Now, while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, and any rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup."

"Trevor!" Neville shouted as he dove for the toad in front of the tall witch. Looking slightly embarrassed, he apologized for interrupting and went back to where he was standing, Trevor now held securely in his hands.

"I'll be right back. No one is to wonder off," McGonagall warned them. And with that, she left.

"So it's true then," Draco announced to Charlie's left, "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Jade rolled her eyes as the students around her whispered excitedly.

Draco stepped forward with two other boys at his side. "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he said pointing to each of them, "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ron and Lyra giggled, but Ron tried to hide his in a cough.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours," Draco sneered at Ron. "Red hair, and hand-me-down robes. You must be a Weasley." Then he turned to Lyra, "And you're no one important.

Lyra went to lunge at him, but was caught around the arms by Charlie and Jade. "Well you're named after a constellation! Your parents must be hippies!" Lyra shouted at him angrily.

"What's a hippie?" Crabbe whispered to Draco

Draco couldn't answer. In fact, the only people who got the joke were muggle born students, so they were the only ones to laugh. Charlie tried her hardest not to laugh. After all, the image of Luscious and Narissa Malfoy in bell-bottom jeans and fighting for peace? It was just too much.

Draco decided to disregard Lyra's remark, and turned back to face Harry. "You'll soon find that some wizarding families," he turned to look at Ron and Lyra, "are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco outstretched his hand for Harry to shake.

Harry stared at his hand for a second before looking up at him with a new sense of confidence, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

Before Draco could reply, McGonagall returned with a rolled-up piece of parchment. She tapped Draco on the shoulder, who glared at harry before retreating back into the crowed of first years.

"We're ready for you now, follow me."

The girls held hands as to not get separated as everyone was led into the great hall, Jade looked up, mesmerized by the many floating candles. And the starry night sky above the.

"What happens if it rains?" she wondered

As if to answer her silent question, Hermione said, "it's not _real _the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read all about it in Hogwarts; A History."

Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on a stool at the front of the room. As it began to sing, jade jumped slightly.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can top them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a steady mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

"Now, when I call your names, I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your house," McGonagall announced. "Hermione Granger."

Hermione walked up to the stool, muttering to herself to relax. Ron, overhearing Hermione, leaned over and whispered to Harry, "mental, that one, I'm telling you," Which earned him a nod from Harry and an elbow in the side from Charlie.

"Hmmmm," said the sorting hat, "right then, right. Okay, GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered and Hermione happily hopped off the stool and ran to their table.

"Draco Malfoy," McGonagall called after a few minutes had passed.

Draco walked confidently up to the stool and sat down. The sorting hat didn't even touch his head before the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table cheered for their new and worthy house-mate.

Charlie leaned over and whispered to Ron, "I bet you ten sickles you get called next."

"You're on!" answered Ron confidently as he shook Charlie's hand.

Lyra, catching on to what Charlie was doing, winked at her and Charlie winked back. Adelaide had also heard this and was conflicted on whether or not laugh or scold the two pranksters later.

"Ronald Weasley!"

Ron paled as he heard his name and Charlie high-fived Lyra.

Ron walked up to the stool, his face paler than Snape's. The hat was placed on his head, and it snapped up as if it had had a sudden realization.

"Ah! Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you. GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron sighed in relief and headed to the table that housed his family.

As other students got sorted, Lyra felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She was being watched. She looked around frantically for any sign of whoever it was. That when her eyes met those of none other than professor Quirrell. He was staring her down. Subconsciously, Lyra reached for Jade and Charlie's hands. They looked up at their terrified friends and saw Quirrell, instantly becoming afraid themselves.

"Harry Potter," McGonagall called, snapping the girls out of their daze.

Harry looked petrified, and Adelaide had to push him forward. He walked nervously forward as the hall fell into a hush, the older students trying to get a better look at him. He sat on the stool, and the sorting hat was placed on his head.

"Hmmmm, difficult, very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see, and not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh yes- and a thirst to prove yourself…..but where to put you?"

Harry began to whisper to himself as fast as he could. Only the sorting hat and the four girls knew what he was saying.

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all here, in your head. And Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness, no doubt about that. Well if your sure….better be GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry sighed in relief and went to sit next to Ron. Fred and George kept shouting "we got Potter! We got potter!"

"Charlie Darksong," McGonagall called as the room calmed down once more.

Charlie was so excited; she almost knocked Adelaide over as she scurried quickly up to the stool. She quickly sat down, and the hat was placed on her head.

"Oh, interesting, an American hasn't walked these halls in over a hundred years. And there are four of…oh! Such a secret you all keep. But you! Such a smart girl, yes, and a great thirst for knowledge. Better be RAVENCLAW!"

Charlie smiled as the Ravenclaw table cheered for her. She took off the sorting hat, and sat with her new house. She waved to her friends as the other Ravenclaw students patted her on the back.

"Jade Assederra!"

Jade looked at Lyra nervously. Lyra only smiled and gave her a gentle nudge. Jade only glared at her friend before walking up to the stool. The sorting at was placed on her head as she sat down.

The hat sprang to life again and began to rummage through jade's mind. "Ah. Not as eager as your friend are you? But you're loyal. An outstanding trait for a friend; pure-hearted as well. You'll have to be a HUFFLEPUFF!"

Jade sighed as the Hufflepuff table cheered for her. Even as she walked over to the table she felt that, for the first time since they had arrived, she had a place in this world. She sat down next to a boy who looked to be in his third year. He smiled and held out his hand to her.

"Hi. I'm Cedric."

She took his hand and shook it. "Jade."

"Adelaide Blackwell," McGonagall said at the front of the room.

Adelaide hugged Lyra before walking to the front of the room, her head held high. She sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head.

"Ah! Such a mature and cunning mind! SLYTHERIN!"

Adelaide walked over to the Slytherin table and sat as far away from Draco as possible. She ended up sitting with some second and third year girls who looked to be indifferent to everything. They caught sight of her and smirked.

"This one's different, girls,' said the third year with coal black hair. "I'm Dusk. This is Jessie, and this is Viper." Adelaide smirked.

Lyra was a little disappointed that all her friends had been sorted into different houses, but she remembered their promise, and stood up straight and smiled again.

"Alyra Heartnet."

Lyra froze for a second before slowly walking up to the stool as all her friends had. As the hat was placed on her head, she could feel it sorting all of her thoughts.

"So _you're _the last American. It's a shame your friends were sorted into different house."

"That doesn't matter, "Lyra thought, "We made a pact."

"Ah yes, your pact: a bond of loyalty and secrecy. But I wonder, can you four bare this secret on your own? Or will the weight of the future be too much for you?" The hat continued

"It'll be hard, I'll admit it, but I refuse to back down!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lyra sighed knowing it was just the beginning as she walked towards the applauding Gryffindor table. A spot cleared for her in between the Weasley twins and across from harry. Fred and George patted Lyra's back as she shook hands with her new house-mates. She looked across the room and met the eyes of all her friends before taking her seat.

The sorting continued until it was just one last student who was placed in Hufflepuff. The students mingled for a moment before McGonagall tapped on her goblet with a fork, and Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin, I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to make: First of all, I'd like to announce that the forest at the edge of the school ground is off limits to all students."

His gaze lingered on Fred and George who, under his stern look, shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Ah, and our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor on the left-hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."

Some students laughed, some didn't. Harry looked to Percy for conformation. "Is he serious?"

"Must be…"

"Without further ado, let the feast begin!" Dumbledore announced, and suddenly all the tables filled with food.

Jade stared in amazement. Suddenly she was reminded of how hungry she was and pulled her hair back before she piled food on her plate. Cedric smiled at her enthusiasm. That is until he saw something strange.

At the Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw tables, the students closest to the young Americans gawked at their necks. It was Adelaide that realized she was being watched first.

"What," she asked.

Dusk pointed at her neck, bored. "Didn't know first-years got tattoos."

Adelaide quickly picked up a clean spoon to use as a mirror. Sure enough, two inches below her ear was a green tattoo that matched the insignia on her Gringotts key. The insignia of Earth.

The other girls took notice of their markings as well. Each girl had been marked with Fire, Water, Earth, or Wind as had their wands. However, the markings on their wands were small and only on the handle as if it had been carved into the wood. They couldn't make any sense of it ll.

After the confusion of the marks had been forgotten, put off for another time, the students continued to mingle.

"I'm half and half," said Seamus, his mouth full of potatoes. "Me dad's a muggle. Mum's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out!" Everyone who had heard laughed.

Jade who had overheard Seamus, pulled out a small pen and a piece of parchment. "What's a muggle?" she wrote, and started to fold the paper into a small square. Cedric took notice of the paper-folding.

"Here, let me," he said as he gently took the paper from Jade and folded it into the shape of a crane. "Now, who are we sending this to?"

Jade pointed her finger at the Gryffindor table, where Lyra was having a heated discussion with Oliver Wood. Cedric lightly blew on the crane and, to Jade's amazement, the piece of paper flew off just like a normal bird would

"It doesn't matter!" Oliver argued, "Each player has a job. If the keeper is out of the game, the players shouldn't worry about the goal posts!"

"See, I think that once the keeper is unable to play that the team should work together. Mostly the chasers though." Before Lyra could finish her argument, a paper crane flew over and landed on her head.

She quickly took it off, opened it, and replied: "A human who can't use and doesn't know about magic." She folded it back up and turned to the red head on her right.

"Can you send this to my friend at the Hufflepuff Table?"

"I don't know, Fred, think I should?"

"Well, why not George? What's the harm in helping an ikkle first year?"

The twins patted and ruffled Lyra's hair before sending the crane back to Jade. Lyra was strongly reminded of OHSHC when they did this.

"Ah!" Lyra jumped from Ron's sudden outburst. She looked to see what had caused him to scream.

Sir Nicholas DeMimsy was in the middle of the table. His head was in the center of one of the serving plates.

"Hello. How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor!" he greeted the new students.

Suddenly the great hall was flooded with ghosts. The bloody barren tipped his hat to Adelaide and Jade was surprised to find the Fat Friar floating behind her. Charlie could be seen talking to the Grey Lady across the room.

"Good evening, Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" Percy greeted.

"Dismal. Once again my request to join the headless hunt has been denied," he answered glumly.  
"Hey! I know you, you're nearly Headless Nick!" cried Ron.

"I prefer _Sir_ Nick if you don't mind," said Nick stiffly.

"_Nearly _headless? How can you be _nearly _headless?" asked Hermione confused.

"Like this," Nick replied, pulling his head to the right, where it was hanging on by only a small section of skin. Hermione turned away in disgust as Sir Nicholas put his head back on before flying away.

Charlie was mingling with her new house. They seemed interested in her American accent. That, and being the Ravenclaws, they always wanted to know everything.

"What's it like in America?"

"Why aren't you attending Salem's Academy of Magic?"

"_What was the sorting het talking about?"_

Charlie had answered every question as best she could without giving too much away. She worried about how much the sorting hat had said out loud.

That wasn't the only thing that worried her though. Where had the tattoo on her neck and the marking on her wand come from? When did it get there? Was it a sign? These thoughts ran through her head like wildfire.

When the feast ended, the students began to trickle out of the great hall except for the first years who were being led out by the prefects.

Jade and Adelaide waved to Charlie and Lyra before the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were led in different directions. The Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors were led in the same direction for a few more moments.

"Do you have one?" Charlie whispered to Lyra.

"One what?" asked Lyra, looking thoroughly confused. Ok….so maybe not all of the, had noticed the new marks upon their skin. Then again, Lyra had forgotten her own birthday last year…

Charlie pulled a small compact from her robes to show Lyra that she had the symbol for water on her neck. "Whoa! That is-"

But before Lyra could finish, Percy and the Ravenclaw prefect split apart to continue to separate dorms.

"Gryffindors, follow me. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases…they like to change."

Lyra watched as the staircases moved above her. "I hate stairs," she mumbled.

Harry, who had overhears, looked at her strangely. "Why?"

"Because I always manage to trip up the steps," she said as she started to ascend those in front of her,

"Trip up the steps," Ron said looking confused, "How do you-"

Before Ron could finish his sentence, Lyra tripped up the steps she had been trying to climb. She sighed as Harry helped her up. "That, Ronald, is how you trip up the steps."

The Gryffindors stopped in front of a large painting of an obese woman or the "The Fat Lady" as students were calling her.

"Password?"

"Caput Draconis"

They portrait swung open to reveal a door, and everyone flooded in after Percy. After he finished explaining where everything was, the students bolted to their bedrooms.

Lyra and the other girls across the castle laid their heads down and fell asleep. But the second Charlie, Jade, Lyra, and Adelaide fell asleep, something happened. They awoke again right where they had started this afternoon: in Lyra's living room.


End file.
